Conventionally, in a video camera apparatus according to a standard television system such as NTSC (National Television Systems Committee) or PAL (Phase Alternation by Line), an interlace-scanned image sensing signal is obtained from an image sensing section and is outputted as a video signal according to a predetermined standard television system. Further, a video cassette recorder (VCR) or a video tape recorder (VTR) integrated with a camera, which is a so-called camcorder, deals with a video image depending on a video signal according to a predetermined standard television signal, generated from an interlaced image sensing signal. In case of dealing with a still image in the camcorder, since two fields of the interface-scanned image sensing signal form an image corresponding to one frame, a time delay between fields causes deterioration of image quality. Therefore, recording/reproducing of a still image is carried out by converting an interlaced signal into a progressive-scan signal.
In contrast, in an electronic still camera specialized for still images, a still-image-sensing signal of high quality obtained by progressive scanning from a solid image sensor capable of progressive scanning is recorded onto a recording medium.
However, a conventional camcorder is capable of realizing only an interlace scan mode and cannot attain or record an image sensing signal which is compatible both the interlace scan mode and the progressive scan mode.
Hence, the present invention has an object of providing a video camera apparatus capable of attaining a still image sensing signal of high quality by the progressive scan mode and of recording the signal onto a recording medium by a recording means which performs recording operation compatible with the interlace scan mode.